This is due to its high energy storage capacity. Furthermore, graphene can be used for more efficient catalysts in the reaction of oxygen reduction reaction and hydrogen generation, and allows for a new generation of semiconductors. With their fundamental research of carbon materials, Müllen and Feng have decisively influenced the synthesis and processing of carbon materials and thus made a significant contribution to the better understanding of this material. Moreover, Müllen and Feng's application-oriented research made it possible to develop highly topical energy-relevant components, such as supercapacitors and batteries with a high energy density, short charging time, and high long-term stability: An important step towards utilisation by the society.

From 1989 until 2016, Klaus Müllen was Director at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Mainz and headed the Department of "Synthetic Chemistry". The award-winning chemist received, among others, the Max Planck Research Award, the Polymer Science Award by the American Chemical Society, the Adolf-von-Baeyer-Denkmünze by Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker and the Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Medaille. Currently Müllen is fellow at the Gutenberg Research College and heads the Emeritus Research Group "Graphenes" at MPI-P. He studied chemistry at University of Cologne and was granted his doctorate by University of Basel. He obtained his habilitation at ETH Zurich.

Since August 2014, Xinliang Feng holds the Strategic Chair for Molecular Functional Materials of the Cluster of Excellence Center for Advancing for Electronics (cfaed) Dresden at Technische Universität Dresden. Previously, Feng worked as group leader also at MPI-P, where he received his doctorate in 2008. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in analytical chemistry in 2001 and his Master's degree in organic chemistry in 2004. The award-winning scientists received, inter alia, an ERC Starting Grant Award by the European Research Council; he is fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, 2014), and one of the work package leaders of the EU pilot project "Graphene Flagship".

The Academy of Sciences and Humanities in HamburgThe Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg was founded by the Federal State of Hamburg in 2004. It aims to promote interdisciplinary research across universities and non-university research establishments and it advocates dialogue between academia, the public, and politics. Members of the Academy are outstanding scientists from Northern Germany. They are not organised by disciplines, but rather in interdisciplinary working groups. The members of these working groups plan and implement projects on fundamental scientific issues and socially significant questions relating to the future. The Academy promotes cooperation between disciplines, universities and scientific institutions in the region and aims to strengthen the visibility of the North German scientific region. The basic facilities of the Academy are financed by funds from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The initial funding of the academy from 2005 to 2007 was made possible by donations from the Hamburgische Stiftung für Wissenschaften, Entwicklung und Kultur Helmut and Hannelore Greve (Hamburg Foundation for the Sciences, Development and Culture Helmut and Hannelore Greve). The Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg is the youngest member of the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities.

cfaedcfaed is a microelectronics research cluster funded by the German Excellence Initiative. It comprises 11 cooperating institutes in Saxony. About 300 scientists from more than 20 countries investigate new technologies for electronic information processing. These technologies are inspired by innovative materials such as silicon nanowires, carbon nanotubes or polymers or based on completely new concepts such as the chemical chip or circuit fabrication methods by self-assembling structures such as DNA-Origami. The orchestration of these new devices into heterogeneous information processing systems with focus on their resilience and energy-efficiency is also part of cfaed’s research program which comprises nine different research paths.